Is this the GEM? Door Ajar, TPMS and brake warning are fritzing

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Firemed57

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Hi Guys,

My truck has been acting a little suspicious and may be an electrical issue. The dash warning lights for the TPMS, door ajar and brake come on, beep and go back off. It seems to cycle, but not consistently. I have also noticed that the headlights do not turn off while parked, the ac/heated seat buttons do not work and the liftgate will not open, and the turn signal indicators just blink in a slow inconsistent pattern.

I have checked the fuses, got a new battery, checked the alternator and now I'm afraid its either a hidden fuse, some sort of module, or the GEM.

Any ideas?

I did find a thread for door ajar that pointed at the radio control module...maybe, but i have an aftermarket Alpine unit.

Also, I plugged in a cheap aftermarket phone charger - could that be?

Thanks,

John

2008 Expedition EL Limted 4x4
 

docraymund

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Looks like a grounded connection somewhere. Inspect all connectors in the engine bay and under the dash for moisture. Include the fuse and relay box.
 

stamp11127

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How was the Alpine installed electrically? If I remember correctly it is conected to the low speed data bus. If you tie into it incorrectly you will/may experience electrical issues.
 
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Firemed57

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Thanks guys,

The alpine was installed prior to purchase and has been running fine. It was never connected to the steering wheel controls though.

There has been no rain or excess water/moisture in our area (southern california) although my cellphone was saying that moisture was detected when I plugged it in the cigarette lighter??? Hmmm. Everything happened all around that same time.

All the fuses were good and didnt see corrosion in the boxes. I will look under the dash and behind the stereo/cigarette lighter.

Does this help narrow it down any?

Appreciate your help guys!
 
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Firemed57

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checked the TPMS at the tire shop. they reset the sensors and i noticed the dashboard warning sequence changed. I wiggled every wire, checked every fuse and found no corrosion or damage. It feels like a component is going out. Could it be the instrument cluster or some type of module?
 
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Firemed57

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Report from the Auto Electric guys. They originally said it was the GEM module. They replaced that only to have that fried out after a few minutes running. Now they are saying its the instrument cluster that fried the GEM module, so both were bad? A little BS flag has gone up. What do you guys think?
 

stamp11127

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They don't know what they are talking about. This is a 2008 correct?

Gems were only used in the first generation Expy. Since it toasted that module they didn't diagnose the problem correctly and should "eat it". An honorable shop would, most won't.

They may have replaced a module and incorrectly called it a gem. Question now is what module was changed?

I would expect a failure in the cluster will show other signs - such as not starting, rapidly blinking theft light to name 2.

Is it in a running state?

I haven't looked at the diagrams for your year but the first item that comes to mind is the smart junction box(sjb). It has taken over some of the duties similar to a GEM - except this has more electronic razzle dazzle inside.
 
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